Toms River excluded from top 20 US Halloween towns list

Toms River, New Jersey, was excluded from a list of the top 20 best towns and cities to celebrate Halloween in America. The rankings were released by Only In Your State for the year 2026.

While the list included cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, and St. Louis, Toms River—which hosts one of the country's largest Halloween parades—was not featured.

Salt Lake City, Utah, was ranked as the number one Halloween city in the country. The ranking was based on proportions, noting that Salt Lake City has the highest number of candy stores, Halloween stores, and parties per person, as well as high rankings for pumpkin patches and haunted attractions.